As published in the Record Journal Wednesday April 25, 2012
By Laurie Rich Salerno
Record-Journal staff
lsalerno@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
WALLINGFORD — The Town Council gave staff a unanimous green light to pursue a 2012 Small Cities Community Block Development Grant to fix basement flooding issues in about 75 Wallingford Housing Authority units at its Tuesday night meeting — a session that also featured a status report from both the authority’s chairman and new property manager.
The town is seeking $500,000 from the state in what would be its fourth grant of this kind since 2007, Wallingford Program Planner Don Roe said, presenting the resolution.
Wallingford received money to fix the flooding issue in its $700,000 grant award from 2011, which identified three separate projects, including reroofing and emergency alarm systems in Housing Authority properties. Roe said that after the two other projects intended for the award went out to bid, only about $190,000 was left. Alone, that’s not enough to start the project, according to Roe.
“The balance was to be used for basements. This proposal to seeks to continue with that work,” Roe said.
The requested sum,$500,000, is the largest request the town can make this year, as federal money given to states for these grants has shrunk, Roe said.
Most of the units to be worked on are in the Ulbrich Heights “moderate rental” development, Roe said.
Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein asked if there were ways the general government could benefit from this grant other than the flooding mitigation.
Roe said the grant request needs to show a clear benefit for low- and moderate-income residents. His office looked at a streetscape and trail project in the area of the Senior Center, but discovered that they would have to do a census-like project and find out the income data of each home on a block-by-block basis — a project too labor intensive to pursue at this time.
Fishbein also asked if the project would end water issues for the Housing Authority.
“No, I do not think that each and every water problem will be addressed. I do think that this is an effort to take a major step,” Roe said.
Housing Authority Chairman Michael Misiti said, “I can promise we’re going to make the best of every dollar, with Maria on board.”
Misiti and new property manager Maria DeMarco gave a report to the Town Council earlier in the evening, providing updates on how the transition has been now that De-Marco’s firm, DeMarco Management Corp., took the reins for the Housing Authority units in February.
DeMarco talked about updating the department’s waiting list, telling councilors that by calling people on the list she has managed to purge 60 to 70 names because their situations have changed.
She also reported that about 30 units are open. Fifteen of those are renovated and available now; another 15 need renovation. Efficiencies are the most readily available, with one-bedrooms second.
Councilors seemed pleased with the new manager’s progress.
“I think you’ve all done a great job, it shows, not getting the calls and emails I used to get,” Council Chairman Robert Parisi said.
Misiti told councilors that DeMarco’s firm was on a six month trial that ended in July. He said the Housing Authority will address retaining the firm at its next meeting Thursday.
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